The Crown of Stars series is a series of fantasy novels written by the famous American author Alis A. Rasmussen under the pseudonym Kate Elliott. There is a total of 7 novels in the series, which were published between the years 1997 and 2006. All the novels of the series feature epic stories and are set in a fictional continent named Novaria, which is very much influenced by the medieval Europe. Over the course of the series, it is depicted that around 2,700 years before the present time, a war had erupted between the human race and the Ashioi race, which a race of elf-like beings. During the war, the human sorcerers became successful in banishing the homeland of the Ashiois and moving to another plane for their existence. But, while trying to so, they unleashed the huge cataclysm on the world that destroyed a major population of the human race. Centuries after, the human race started to recover slowly. The humans were initially ruled by the Dariyan Empire and then by its successor states, which were governed by the Daisanite Church’s wisdom. The Daisanite Church was very much influenced by the beliefs of Christianity. The first plot of the series opens with the Wender and Varre kingdoms, which are unified under King Henry’s rule. The kingdoms face a number of threats both externally as well as internally. King Henry’s elder half-sister Sabella tries to form a rebellion force against his rule in the Varre kingdom. Also the inhuman ruler Eika has invaded the kingdom from the north side. He has raided the coast and threatens the Gent city. The internal scenario of King Henry’s rule is also not too pleasant. His court is brewing with intrigue as he has not chosen his rightful heir from his three children, who are considered legitimate, and one bastard son named Sanglant. He is not allowed to inherit the throne after King Henry by the court of law.

During the course of the series, two young characters named Liath and Alain are shown as getting tested by their fortunes as they are gradually drawn into the intriguing web of the kingdom. Eventually, the two come to know that the banished homeland of the Ashioi race is getting drawn back on Earth. However, if it happens, a huge cataclysm will be sparked on Earth, which will be greater than the one at the time of its departure. Even though the series is set in a fictional world and follows a fictional plot, it is greatly influenced by the real history of the world. In particular, the series shows resemblances to the early medieval period of Europe. In one of her interviews, author Kate Elliott has said that she has described the cultures of her series by drawing them directly from the sources of the real world. She has also said that she has always been a great fan of The Lord of the Rings series and had the plans of writing a similar epic fantasy series herself. At first, she began with the science fiction genre by writing the Jaran series. During the course of writing this series, she planned the storylines of the epic fantasy series and drew them from the real world history. Finally, she decided to take a break from her previous series and began working on the Crown of Stars series. Initially, Kate Elliott had planned to write the series as a trilogy followed by a sequel trilogy. But, it was published in four volumes initially. However, Kate was still facing difficulties with the writing process and the length of the series. After getting expanded into six volumes, the publishers decided that the final volume was too large to be published as a single volume and split it into two. Hence, the series eventually became a seven book series over the course of its writing and publishing.

The first novel of the Crown of Stars series written by author Kate Elliott was published by the DAW Books publishing house in the year 1997. It was titled ‘King’s Dragon’ and it introduced the initial plot of the series. The plot of the novel revolves around the lives of the main characters such as King Henry, Sabella, Liath, Alain, etc. In the opening sequence of the plot of the novel, the Kingdom of Wendar ruled by King Henry is shown to be in turmoil. Although, he still holds the throne, his half-sister Sabella constantly contests for the reign with the help of her rebel forces. Seeing it as a good opportunity, many pessimists turn towards the banner of Sabella. The internal conflict in the kingdom goes on increasing which causes several human and inhuman raiders to weaken its defense and move in across the borders. The turmoil goes on increasing with terrifying portents and dark spirits walking on land in broad daylight. In the midst of all this, two innocent people are thrust into the growing conflicts of the kingdom. One among them is Alain, whom the Lady of Battles has granted a vision. He is a brave young man. The other one is Liath, who is a young woman, having the power of changing the course of history. The two are required to discover the truth related to themselves as soon as possible before getting done by their fates. Both of them realize soon that in a war, whose final outcome may be determined by sorcery and not by swords, failure may provide a higher price than their lives.

The second novel of the series was published by the Orbit publishing house in the year 1998. The novel was titled ‘Prince of Dogs’ and it continued to depict the war-trodden kingdoms of Wendar and Varre, as well as the primary characters such as Alain, Laith, Sanglant, and King Henry. In the opening sequence of the plot of the novel, the kingdoms of Wendar and Varre are shown as being still in the state of turmoil and war seems very near. The destinies of Alain and Laith get intertwined in the internal conflicts of the kingdom. Alain is depicted as being raised in a humble surroundings and he has now gone on to become the heir of the Count. On the other hand, Liath is shown struggling to unravel the dark secrets from her past. In the process, she tries to evade the traps plated for her by the ones who seek the treasure hidden by her. Another character named Sanglant is depicted in the plot of the novel, who is considered dead by his own saviors. He spends his days as a prisoner in the Gent city. Sanglant is actually the bastard son of King Henry and is known as the Fifth Son. After coming to know about his true self, he begins to build his own army with the view of contesting for the throne of the kingdoms of Varre and Wendar.

Jack Reacher is back! Personally I thought this was the 2nd best Reacher book yet. The latest book in the Jack Reacher series, Past Tense, came out November 5th. Family secrets come back to haunt Reacher when he decides to visit the town his father was born in. Why? Because when he visits there he finds out no-one with the last name of Reacher has ever lived there. It leaves him wondering - did his father ever live there? More Details.

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One of my favourite series is the Brilliance Saga by Marcus Sakey and it is our featured series of the month. It's just an incredible light sci-fi series that fans of "Dark Matter" would also enjoy. It's free on Kindle Unlimited too! More Details.

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Our author of the month is Canadian author Opal Carew who writes erotic romance novels. Opal has written over 100 novels with multiple book series such as the Dirty Talk series and the Abducted series. If you’re a fan of erotic romance, be sure to check out Opal Carew.

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Clive Cussler started working as a copywriter for an advertising industry after his discharge from the military. Later he became the creative director of two successful advertising agencies. He was assigned to produce radio and television commercials and was also given a reward at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival for many of his commercials.